Romper Stomper
1992
**
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Alex Scott, Leigh Russell, Dan Wyllie, James McKenna, Eric Mueck, Frank Magree, John Brumpton
A troubled young woman tags along as a gang of violent and racist neo-Nazi skinheads terrorise the neighbourhood in Melbourne, Australia. The tables suddenly turn when the mistreated Vietnamese youths hit back. Geoffrey Wright's feature debut could work as a companion piece to American History X or A Clockwork Orange if the script included a single smart or thought-provoking element. Wright is out to stage a spectacle, and, admittedly, the extended clash between the gang and the Vietnamese youths is the most exhilarating scene. However, the film trivialises racism by portraying the skinheads as aimless half-witted buffoons. Russell Crowe plays the gang's leader Hando In an intense breakthrough performance.
